Mini Christmas Puddings in a Muffin Tin (No Pudding Basins Needed)

Header picture: illustration.

Every December I make one big Christmas pudding, carry it to the table with a bit of ceremony, and then eat most of it myself. I've got three kids and not one of them will go near dried fruit, so what's left sits in the fridge until January and looks at me.

That's why I make them small now, one each, in whatever I've got. I've never owned a pudding basin and I wasn't going to buy six for something I make once a year, so I use a muffin tin.

Why a muffin tin works

Each cup is a tiny basin, and a carbon steel tin heats through faster than a ceramic one, so you're looking at roughly an hour in the oven instead of the three or four hours a big pudding wants. The jumbo cups give you a proper single portion. A standard 12 cup muffin tray makes smaller ones, which suit children, the person who says they couldn't possibly and then has seconds, and anyone you're giving a few to.

The one thing a muffin tin doesn't have is a lid. A basin keeps the water out with its foil, but a tray has open tops, so you cover the whole tin and stand it in a water bath in the oven. The hot water does the steaming for you.

The mix

This makes about 1kg, which fills six jumbo cups or twelve standard ones. It's a plain rich pudding, the same balance of fruit, suet and crumbs as a basin pudding, just in smaller pieces.

For the fruit, a day or more ahead:

• 450g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants and chopped peel)
• 50g glacé cherries, chopped (optional)
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 75ml brandy, or more orange juice if you'd rather not use alcohol

For the pudding:

• 1 small eating apple, grated
• 100g dark muscovado sugar
• 100g shredded suet (beef or vegetable)
• 75g fresh white breadcrumbs
• 75g self-raising flour
• 1½ tsp mixed spice
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp black treacle

Where mine went wrong

The first time I made these I skipped the paper circles because I couldn't be bothered to cut them, and the puddings stuck so badly that I ate the bottom halves off a spoon straight from the tin. Cutting out circles takes two minutes, and I do it every time now.

If yours come out dry, the foil probably wasn't tight enough or they stayed in too long. Small puddings overcook faster than you'd expect, so check at the earliest time.

Keeping and reheating

Let them cool completely, then wrap each one in baking paper and foil. The recipes I've read say they'll keep in the fridge for around two weeks, and you can freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.

To reheat, microwave a standard-sized one for about a minute, or a jumbo one a little longer, until it's piping hot in the middle. Or wrap them in foil and give them 20 minutes in the oven if you're already using it for everything else.

The tin matters more than you'd think

A water bath is hard work for a thin tin. It goes from cold to a hot oven with boiling water round it, and a tin that flexes will pull the puddings out of shape. Our jumbo muffin tray is 1mm carbon steel, so it stays flat. The cups are 10cm across, the non-stick is made without PFOA, and it comes with our 10-year warranty. If you're making a batch, the jumbo muffin pan set of two gives you twelve.

Dry the tin properly after the water bath, because carbon steel doesn't like sitting damp, and hand wash it. The care and use guide has the rest. If you want to compare the sizes, our muffin tray range runs from mini to jumbo, and our best muffin tin guide explains which is which.

More bakes you can make early

The puddings can wait in the fridge while you get on with the rest. Make-ahead mince pies freeze unbaked, a small air fryer Christmas cake fits in a loaf tin, and our Christmas cake recipe is the full-size version.